Morning on Prospero's Island
by Rosepixie
Summary: A series of very short stories about characters from The Tempest in the morning (not all of them are on the island). There is very little plot, but it is safe to assume that the stories all take place on the same morning, so small connections may become evident. I have no current plans to expand any of these into longer stories, but may continue to add more of them over time.
1. Antonio

Duke Antonio was gently shaken awake by his manservant. He didn't really want to get up yet, but he knew that he had to leave on their journey today. His friend Sebastian had been in Milan for over a month, and they needed to go meet his brother, the King of Naples. They were to meet for a diplomatic conference with a few other leaders.

Antonio climbed out of his large bed and stood yawning as the servant moved around him. It was a routine both were very familiar with. When the servant handed him a soft cloth, Antonio mechanically used it to wash his face and arms. When he was finished, the servant took the cloth from him.

As he stood still, the servant carefully dressed the Duke in traveling clothes. Antonio yawned again as the man carefully tied the laces that attached his oversleeves to his doublet. When he was finished, the Duke sat and pulled on his polished boots and fastened a short cloak over his shoulder.

He was buckling his sword belt on when his wife came into the room. Her attendants hovered respectfully but anxiously outside the door, watching their mistress's every move nervously. Isabella was expected to give birth any day and, heavy as she was now, largely stayed in her rooms. When the baby was born, she would resume her usual flurry of daily activities.

"Dearest," he greeted her, "I would have come to your chambers. You needn't have troubled yourself."

"I know," she responded with a smile, " but the midwives say it's good for me to walk a bit. It didn't hurt any of our others."

"The I will trust them. I will miss you, my sweet."

"And I you. Keep that friend of yours out of trouble, if you can. You know, he could use a wife."

Antonio laughed. "Sebastian can find trouble enough, 'tis true. I will endeavor to obey you and will urge him to consider the advantages of a bride." Privately he felt that a wife was the least of what Sebastian deserved, but there would be time enough for those thoughts later.

"Good, see that you do. Now, have you time enough before you leave to join me for breakfast?"

"As you wish," he replied with a deep bow.


	2. Miranda

Miranda rested her chin in her hands and gazed out her window at the view. It was absolutely beautiful and she loved her home very much, but it had felt rather lonely lately. She and her father were the only people on the whole island. There were sprites, of course, and Caliban, but no other actual people. When she had been a child her father would conjure whomever she wanted to play with or summon sprites to amuse her, but now somehow those things weren't enough. She was lonely.

With a sigh, Miranda abandoned the view out her window and climbed out of bed. She picked up one of the dresses her father had created for her by her magic and changed into it. She washed her face and arms in the water left for her every day by Ariel, her father's favorite sprite, and used one of her only non-magical possessions, a silver hairbrush that had once been her mother's, to brush out her long hair.

Miranda made her way out to the main space of their modest home (built by Caliban and the sprites when they first arrived on the island) and found her father in his usual place reading one of his books. She smiled at the sight and went to drop a kiss on his head. He smiled up at her.

"Good morning, dear one," he greeted her.

"Good morning, Father."

"What are you about today?"

"I thought to collect some of the sweet purple berries for a treat."

Prospero frowned.

"I can send Ariel to collect berries for you, Daughter. You need not trouble yourself with such a menial task."

"I know, Father," Mirada replied with a sigh. "I was looking forward to enjoying the fair day, however, and collecting berries is a perfect task to occupy me out of doors."

"Then by all means," he gave in indulgently. "Don't go far and take care. There may be storm on the horizon."

"Of course, Father," Miranda replied with a smile as she went to fetch her basket. She didn't even think about how odd the warning was, given the perfect clear day she had just been looking at from her bedroom.


End file.
